1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to animal training systems for controlling the behavior of an animal through the application of a stimulus to the animal, and, more particularly, to hand held transmitters used with such systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Animal training systems, such as dog training systems, may include a receiver collar which is worn by the dog for applying electrical stimulation to the skin of the dog to control the behavior of the dog. Such dog training system typically also include a portable transmitter which is carried by the trainer. The portable transmitter selectively transmits a radio frequency (RF) signal to the receiver for applying a stimulus when the animal exhibits undesirable behavior. The most common type of stimulation is electrical stimulation, although other types of stimulation pertaining to sound, smell, vibration, water, etc, are also possible. Different levels of electrical stimulation may be applied to the dog by depressing corresponding buttons on the transmitter. Each button is associated with an encoded signal which is transmitted to the receiver. The receiver receives the encoded signal and applies electrical stimulation of a corresponding intensity to the skin of the dog. The intensity may be controlled by changing the voltage level, current frequency and/or pulse width of an applied electrical pulse.
Depending on the particular dog, as well as the type of undesirable behavior displayed by the dog, the stimulation level can vary considerably. For example, some dogs may have a much higher pain tolerance than others, and thus the stimulation level needed to stop the undesired behavior may need to be considerably greater than with other dogs. Moreover, if a dog sees the trainer but simply will not come to the trainer, the amount of stimulation needed may be only at a minimal level, simply to get the dogs attention. On the other hand, if a hunting dog is tracking an undesirable species of game such as deer, the instinct to continue tracking may be strong and thus the amount of stimulation needed may be at a high level.
With older style transmitters, the intensity level was varied by manually inserting a resistor of a particular resistance level into the receiver collar and then depressing the button on the transmitter for activation of the RF signal. With this type of configuration, it is not easy to change the stimulation level applied to the dog. With newer style transmitters, multiple buttons on the transmitter correspond to the different stimulation levels. With this type of configuration, the transmitter must be large enough to accommodate the multiple buttons. If the transmitter is used for multiple dogs, with multiple receivers, the amount of space needed on the transmitter can be a limiting factor. Moreover, such buttons may not be easily operable by persons with a disability of the hands, fingers or arms.
What is needed in the art is a hand held transmitter for an animal training system which allows the stimulation level to be adjusted easily.